Excellent teaching, support and guidance

Academic study lies at the heart of Oakham School. We are determined to give our students every opportunity to make the most of their abilities through a combination of excellent teaching, a supportive learning environment and by enabling students to take significant responsibility for the academic direction they wish to take.

With guidance from their teachers and tutors, students are able to make increasingly important choices about their programme of study as they progress through the school. Initially, most subjects are compulsory, but in the Lower and Middle schools, options are available in our languages and creative arts programmes. In Year 9 (Third Form) we support and advise students as they face very important decisions about the GCSE courses they will follow.

Effective Study and Time Management

Encouraging and enabling students to work effectively and independently is an ongoing aspiration. We teach them effective study methods and time management skills to ensure that their busy and demanding schedules are also enjoyable and fruitful.

We offer the choice of either IB or A-Levels

Beyond GCSE, students may follow either an A-Level or an International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. Therefore, throughout Years 10 and 11 (the Fourth and Fifth Forms), we encourage our students to explore what is available and how it would match their personal aptitudes and interests. It is important to us that students' choices are positively made and right for them individually. Neither programme is pushed at the expense of the other – it is all about playing to the students' strengths and interests.

Enviable Teacher/ pupil ratio

Our very favourable teacher/pupil ratio of 1:6 helps us to support all students fully and allows our staff to acknowledge and respond to the different learning requirements of each student. Staff are passionate about both their subjects and educational ideas, which leads to an environment of idea sharing and discussion – an atmosphere that is translated into the classroom, sowing seeds for lifelong intellectual curiosity.

Tutorial support

Almost all members of the teaching staff are tutors, and tutoring is a major part of their professional role. Teachers work closely with personal tutors and with each other to encourage students to set ambitious but achievable targets for their own study. We encourage regular communication between parents and the School, both informally as the need may arise, and formally through parents' evenings, twice termly progress reports, and a record of achievement at the end of each term.